Education Counselor Careers – Job Duties and Requirements

A guidance counselor and school counselor can work with any age student, from kindergarten through college. While most work in a school, such as a middle school, there are others who operate in private practice. Parents might identify a learning problem and then seek out a school counselor or talk to their child’s school counselors, who can then help their child address the underlying issues that prevent them from succeeding in school and/or their social life.

For those who work in a school, their office might be located adjacent to the school nurse. school counselors who work at colleges or universities are likewise integrated into the campus healthcare system. Since college students have more flexibility in their schedules, college counselors and school counselors often schedule their sessions much like they would for anyone in the wider, non-student community. Since they help so many students, a college campus school counselors very often becomes a vital member of the campus community.

Prior to licensure, all counselors must complete the experiential learning portion of the licensure requirements. This applies to all counselors, whether they intend to work as a guidance counselor, school counselor, clinical social workers, or counselors/psychologists. To become a school counselor, you must complete a minimum of 1200 hours of supervised counseling and guidance work, 600 of which must be completed in a school setting. It should be noted that some states may require more or less hours, but students are responsible to know what those requirements are.

This experiential learning process should be conducted under the auspices of a state licensed professional who can sign off on the duties performed, the hours logged, and other notes pertinent to licensure. In fact, it is vital that a student's supervisor be licensed and in good standing. An internship might be rendered moot if the supervisor is not fully credentialed by their state. However, this is rarely the case, as students are frequently paired with supervisors by their graduate or doctoral program.

Sometimes professionals wish to change their licensure to work with a different population or to add a new specialization. This sort of change will likely require more study, a licensure examination, and perhaps another experiential learning course.

A guidance counselor most often work in a typical public-school setting such as an elementary school, middle school, or high school. They usually have their own offices where they counsel students one-on-one, though they can also invite parents or others to the sessions. However, due to budgetary restraints, some school counselors rotate among several schools. A single counselor might maintain multiple offices across a school district.

A school counselor can also work in private practice. These professionals might maintain connections with small private schools, including charter schools that are unable to pay a full-time counselor. They can also forge relationships with preschools in order to service that population. Those in private practice often charge the parents directly or charges their insurance plan.

A school counselor could also work for colleges or universities. They most often work under the auspices of the school health system and they see students in a very similar way that a non school counselor sees young adults.